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Chelsea Clinton to Wed; BP Continues to Try to Cap Well; CNN Heroes Are Honored

Aired July 31, 2010 - 10:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, there, everybody. From the CNN Center, this is CNN SATURDAY MORNING for this Saturday, the 31st day of July. Good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kate Bolduan. Thanks for joining us. It is 10:00 a.m. here in Atlanta, 7:00 a.m. on the west coast in San Francisco, and Miss Chelsea Clinton's big day. Everyone is talking about. We're talking about it, but almost no one really knows what all the details are of this secret wedding. But we are still talking about it. We will bring you the latest on what we do know, coming up.

HOLMES: Also, it's a story that many say that is largely overlooked in the school textbooks. We are talking about America's slave trade. We're going to be talking about an artist whose statues are the models who pose for them are bringing the story to life.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He was like, I want to kill myself or kill somebody for putting me through this. Just imagine, like, eight weeks of being cooked up in one position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: And it's not exactly "American Idol," but producers say it could change your life. And that's certainly the case for the eventual winner. We will have more on that many could go up.

And our meteorologist Reynolds Wolf is in New Orleans tracking the latest developments in the Gulf and also has a bit of your weekend weather. It's hot. You will want to hear more about it.

HOLMES: And I'm going to let you hear a little bit about your top stories. Some of the stories making headlines including, she is still in the headline, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer. She is not going to get what she wanted -- an expedited hearing.

Of course the state was asking the federal appeals court to hear the state's appeal early. The state is appealing the injunction that blocked part of that controversial law SB1070. Some part were put on hold, others parts did go into effect this week.

An appeal now will be heard the first week of November. But many say this fight is going to eventually make its way to the Supreme Court.

Also, a matter of life and death in Pakistan. Take a look that that picture, people literally holding on for dear life there right now, the nation's air force scrambling to rescue survivors from days of monsoon rains and epic flooding. At least 800 people have been killed, and we are just talking about that in one province. Another 25 people have died in Pakistani controlled Kashmir.

Also Hamas secretary forces confirm a senior member of a group was killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes overnight. Israel says the attack on what it calls a weapons manufacturing site was in response to militant rocket fire on an Israeli border town.

BOLDUAN: On a very different topic, after all the talk, all the speculation, finally, we think the big day is here for Chelsea Clinton.

HOLMES: We have to add that "we think," because nothing is official. The former first daughter will, we think, marry her long- time boyfriend, Marc Mezvinsky in a tiny little town, Rhinebeck, New York. It's supposed to happen today.

Susan, what do we know?

BOLDUAN: Help us.

HOLMES: Our Susan Candiotti is there. Do we know anything, Susan?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we do know that she is getting married. The Clintons finally did acknowledge she was getting married today. They haven't officially said it was here. But obviously, it is. We have been seeing them for the past couple of days, and the event is on.

This is a young lady, Chelsea Clinton, that we have seen grow up before, really, the world's eyes -- eight years in the White House, going to college, entering the business world. So this is obviously a huge day as everyone is watching to see what happens next as she weds her long-time beau, Marc Mezvinsky.

The town is meantime is waking up here. We have a lot of people walking around, milling around, trying to see whether they sight any celebrities. And the guests that attended last night's rehearsal dinner, I'm very sure that the memories of that special event are fresh in their mind as they get ready for what lies ahead this day.

Obviously, it's going to be an exciting day for everyone.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: On the banks of the Hudson less than two hours from New York city, Rhinebeck is a picture postcard setting for Chelsea Clinton's summer wedding.

JIM LANGON, "HUDSON VALLEY NEWS": You could make a case this is the most significant thing to happen in Rhinebeck since Washington's army drove the British out in the 1700s.

CANDIOTTI: Yet even police aren't allowed to blurt it out.

MAJ. MICHAEL KOPY, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: There is a private event that is planned for the Rhinebeck area.

CANDIOTTI: Maybe the understatement of the year. But throw in a few lines like ...

MAJ. MICHAEL KOPY, NEW YORK STATE POLICE: We are working with the Secret Service providing a direct support to the United States Secret Service.

CANDIOTTI: And there's virtually no doubt Chelsea and fiancee, Marc Mezvinsky are getting hitched right here. Party tents are in place at the late John Jacob Astor's sprawling estate.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Lots of activity continues to go on outside the Astor course. There is where the wedding is expected to be. Look, there's another bus going in there. And across the street, you can see what appears to be some kind of delivery truck, might be a catering truck. And they have even blocked out the lettering so you can't tell who it belongs to.

NANCY AMY, RHINEBECK AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: Nobody wants information about their wedding getting out before the day of the wedding.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): "Hudson Valley News" editor Jim Langon broke Rhinebeck's biggest nuptial story weeks ago. Yet even his best buddies won't dish about details.

LANGON: One of them was in a swimming pool with me about three days ago, and he was speaking Swahili rather than answer any of my pathetic attempts to get some information out of him.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): For an event planner, how big of an deal is this?

TATIANA BYRON, EVENT PLANNER: This is the wedding of the century.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Event planner Tatiana Byron says fashionistas are dying to see what Chelsea will be wearing. Wedding guests can't even bring cell phones.

CANDIOTTI (on camera): Do you think anyone will try to sneak something in?

BYRON: I think for sure people are going to try to sneak things in. But it's going to be really difficult when you have the local police, the state police, and the Secret Service on your tail.

CANDIOTTI (voice-over): The world has watched Chelsea grow up, even comforting her parents during rocky times, eventually campaigning for her mom, always known for protecting her privacy. CHELSEA CLINTON: And I do not think that's any of your business.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This young woman has survived extraordinary tumultuous careers of both of her parents and chosen to marry in a ceremony that is open to those who are invited because they are real friends, not for any other reason.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CANDIOTTI: And we want to show you again the former president, Bill Clinton, and the current secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, last night as they were arriving and then later departed from the hotel, again, hosting that recession last night.

They looked very relaxed, waving to the crowd, big smiles all around, Hillary Clinton wearing a lovely green dress. Chiffon looked nice on her and really well accepted as cheers went up from the crowd. So it was a pretty exciting night all around. Everything seems to be in place for the big event. T.J.?

HOLMES: Susan, who got an invitation to this thing?

CANDIOTTI: Well, not me, and obviously, not you guys.

(LAUGHTER)

CANDIOTTI: But that guest list is still obviously being kept -- I know -- under wraps. We don't know exactly. Everyone has had to sign confidentiality agreements who were connected with the event and guests, obviously, have been asked not to talk about anything until presumably, it is over.

We do know, we did spot last night, the only person we really recognized in the crowd is, of course, former secretary of state, Madeline Albright, who was secretary of state under then president Bill Clinton. So we saw her briefly in the crowd.

Then there were rumors that Mariah Carey was there. No confirmation of that. We have heard rumors all throughout the week that the likes of Oprah and Barbara Streisand would be here. But I did hear from a very, very solid source that the talk of seeing them here is completely untrue. So we'll find out later.

HOLMES: This is a fascinating story. Susan Candiotti, we appreciate you. There is so much information we just don't know. You know what, even though people are curious about it, it is her wedding day. It is OK if all the details are not out. God bless them.

BOLDUAN: We will still work on it, though. We will still work on it.

So, what does it take to pull off such a high-profile wedding? We know the guy to talk to. Colin Cowie turns a milestone into an event for celebrities like Oprah, Jerry Seinfeld, John Travolta, and J-Lo, and he is here with us to talk about it. Stay here. HOLMES: All right, but also this morning, we are on day 103 of this gulf oil disaster, and there is a new timeline in the efforts to permanently seal the damaged oil well there in the Gulf. BP pushing back plans to start the so called "static kill" procedure.

Reynolds Wolf is in New Orleans for us to explain why. Good morning to you once again, Reynolds. So why is the timeline going back just a bit?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The reason we have a little bit of a wrinkle in the timeframe is things were ironed out picture perfect, but we now have news of a little bit of an issue with regard to one of the relief wells.

The well, itself, is fine. However, there happens to be a little bit of silt or sand that made its way into the relief well. The reason they believe that happened is because back when we had the remnants of tropical storm Bonnie that passed over this area, it stirred up things at the surface and way down at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico, it actually stirred up some of that sediment. It got into the relief well.

And before they get to the point where they can employ the static kill operation, the relief well has to be cleaned out. There are two of them, and it is the one closest to the main source of the oil that has to be cleaned out. It should take anywhere from 12 to 24 to maybe 36 hours.

Regardless, it is going to cause a delay in the static kill operation. The static kill operation, you will remember, is basically when they go into the containment cap and inject a combination of both mud and cement that kills off the top part of the well.

That's only one part of the process. The second process is something that's going to come in the middle of August or perhaps towards the end of the month which they refer to as the bottom kill operation. That's when they actually go through the relief well and inject the mud and cement there, and that kills off the well altogether. Back to you.

HOLMES: Reynolds, what about the cleanup? We have been talking so much about killing this well lately, and things seem to be going well in that aspect at least. But what about the actual cleanup? We were talking a few days ago that people were having a hard time finding oil, even.

WOLF: Absolutely. Right now, I can tell you just by aerial observation, they are having a very, very difficult time finding the thick streams of oil that they had. Really, they were so easy to see about a month or so ago. There has been a limited presence of sheen on the water. They say much of that is going to burn up with the sun's rays.

If you happen to go down in extreme southern Louisiana, out by the delta itself, I can tell you at places like Plaquemines Paris, there is definitely still some oil in the marshlands. I will tell you this too. Admiral Thad Allen said yesterday if anyone thinks that they are planning on leaving and dropping the operation, they have another thing coming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ADM. THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: Let me restate to the American public and the people of the Gulf coast, we are here to see this thing through to the finish. Our forces are ready to deploy. We are going to make sure this well is killed and make sure any well on the surface is responded to and make sure the shores are cleaned.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WOLF: So again, T.J., they are in this for the long haul, no question about it. And taking care of the first measures and getting the static kill and bottom kill operation, that's a big part of it.

HOLMES: Reynolds for us in New Orleans. Buddy, we appreciate you as always. Talk to you again here soon.

BOLDUAN: It's a natural disaster that's killed hundreds of people battling floodwaters in Pakistan. We will get a report from the scene. It's 11 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Chelsea Clinton is tying the knot today with fiancee, Marc Mezvinsky. The details of this wedding extravaganza are being kept top secret. But we now know it is taking place at a beautiful estate in the tiny town of Rhinebeck, New York.

HOLMES: Most of it is speculation about this wedding.

(LAUGHTER)

HOLMES: So let me pour it on you right now. This is just speculation, folks. Some are saying the wedding could cost $3 million to $5 million. However, people in the Clinton camp certainly dispute that. They say it won't even cost $1 million.

But that didn't stop people from speculating about the catering, either -- $750,000 some estimates say, others say $11,000 for the cake and $600,000 for air conditioned tents and some $15,000, this has got to be a joke, for porcelain porta-potties.

Again, that's just speculation. None of that being confirmed by anybody in the Clinton camp.

In Rhinebeck, the Clinton-watching has officially gun. It is a spectator sport there. That is a pretty good-looking couple there, the former president and the secretary of state showing up last night, cheers of the crowd there. They arrived for the traditional rehearsal dinner we are told. They waved and smiled before going in the hotel.

A few other notables showed up, including friend and former Clinton adviser Vernon Jordan as well as the former secretary of state, Madeline Albright.

BOLDUAN: That's right. So it's being called the "wedding of the century." We will leave that for you to decide.

But ware trying to get details about what the big event will be like and what it is like to throw such a big event. For that, you don't turn to me. You turn to the event planner to the stars, Colin Cowie. Thank you so much, Colin, for joining us this morning.

COLIN COWIE, CELEBRITY EVENT PLANNER: Good to be with you this morning.

BOLDUAN: Good morning, good morning.

So from what you know and what you have heard about the Clinton wedding as well as celebrity weddings in general, it is a simple question, but I really am wondering, how is a celebrity wedding different than any other wedding?

COWIE: I think the biggest difference, you have this big focus of attention from the media point of view. We have all watched Chelsea Clinton grow up in the White House. We have watched her develop into the business world. I think there is a natural fascination with her. So that's why all eyes are upon this wedding.

It's interesting, because they really have done a really good job of keeping all the details very quiet. I'm sure every single one of those vendors signed an NDA and they are not going to disclose anything.

What makes an event very vulnerable is when the air space is open so the helicopters are able to shoot and show everything that's going on. President Clinton has been able to close down the air space, which no nobody else can really do. As a result, we don't know what's going on. But I did find out ...

BOLDUAN: If anyone knows how to pull something like this off, you do, Colin. How do you pull off such an event when a lot of people are going to be attending, a lot of attention being put on it, and privacy is a top priority?

COWIE: I think what you have got to do -- first of all they take everyone's cell phones away to make sure no one is tweeting or sending out images. They want to keep this as private as they possibly can. And they have been very, very effective.

When you think about probably five or six hours before this starts and we know very little other than the fact that they really are getting married and what they are dressing in.

I have heard that the color scheme for the wedding is shades of grays with whites and accents of lavender. I think it is going to be done in a rather modern interpretation as far as the design of the flowers is concerned.

BOLDUAN: From your perspective, if you are counting down the time, 10:18:35 at this moment, what would be going on behind the scenes if you were planning this shindig?

COWIE: This is six months of work that has come to a head. You have the musician arriving, catering arriving, the catering is being assembled, the flowers are being put out. All the plastic covering the carpets is being lifted.

Today really is the day where you dot the i's and cross the t's and bring all the details together. It is very exciting because when you spend so much time, it is kind of like live television. There is no take two. You have one chance to make it right.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. In terms of the security you talked about, President Clinton has the ability, the rare ability of being able to request closing off air space. And you talked about the cell phones, taking way those type of devices.

But it must be a difficult balance to have strong security but also you want it to be a very welcoming event for the people attending so it doesn't seem like they are going into some sort of a convention. How do you strike that balance of security but still having it be a wedding?

COWIE: I think you want everyone to respect their privacy from the first point of view. So I think asking people not to use their cell phones or taking the their cell phones away is one of those thing.

It is an invasion of your privacy and ability to be able to communicate. But that's what it takes to keep it under wraps, and I think it needs to be respected. At the end of the day, there is still all this time and all this money, and I think they want to make sure they have a wedding and that they have the information.

Because it is a tremendous bounty out there for people to get exclusive pictures for them. We are all waiting for that moment later on this evening when I'm sure officially the will give us a picture of themselves in front of the cake, which is the classic wedding, iconic picture to see Marc and Chelsea cut their cake.

BOLDUAN: And in terms of the setting, do you think having it in a small town like Rhinebeck is a benefit or a detriment to pulling off a secret wedding? Would it be easier to throw and be more anonymous in a city like New York?

COWIE: I think you might be a bit more anonymous in New York. But the fact they are on a 50-acre estate allows them to be very, very private and keep things tight and under wraps. And I think they picked the right place. Rhinebeck is stunningly beautiful and they have been blessed with the most incredible weather today.

BOLDUAN: It looks absolutely beautiful behind you. Event planner to the stars, thank you so much, Colin, great to meet you and speak with you this morning. Thanks so much.

COWIE: Thank you, too. BOLDUAN: Well, our talking about Chelsea Clinton's wedding got us thinking about to some other famous first daughters and their weddings.

Take a look here. Teddy Roosevelt's daughter Alice married an Ohio congressman at the White House back in 1906, and 60 years later, LBJ walked his daughter Lucy down the aisle at her Washington wedding. A lot of people still remember this next picture, Richard Nixon walking his daughter Trisha down the aisle at the White House Rose Garden back in 1971.

And look at this next picture just a couple of years ago, President George W. Bush's daughter Jenna ties the knot at the family ranch in Crawford.

HOLMES: You are running out of time, folks, because you probably know someone you would like to honor as being a hero, in particular a CNN hero.

BOLDUAN: And time is running out for you to get your nominations in. Josh Levs has the details on that. Hey, Josh.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here there guys. We just have hours left. You can give someone an inspirational, a huge honor by naming that person a CNN hero. How to go about it and who this year's nominees are so far, I will show you right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Some of our top stories now. BP delaying plans to start the so called "static kill" procedure in the Gulf. That's when mud and cement are pumped into the damaged oil well to permanently seal it. Authorities say they will start this procedure likely on Monday or Tuesday instead of this weekend so debris that collected during tropical storm Bonnie can be cleared out.

And Iran rocked by a second earthquake, this one a magnitude 5.3 struck today in the southern part of the country. No reports of damage or injuries. A 5.6 magnitude quake struck the northern section yesterday, injuring 170 people.

And Pakistani authorities say data recorders from this week's plane crash have been found and will be sent to European for analysis. The plane went down near Islamabad during a rainstorm, killing all 152 people onboard.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: They are some of the most inspirational people in the world. And it's up to you to decide who joins their ranks this year.

HOLMES: CNN heroes, something we are very proud of here. The deadline, though, for nominations is upon us. Josh Lves is back to show you how you can nominate. But you better hurry up.

LEVS: Yes. I have been e-mailing and putting this on Facebook and twitter, people saying, I didn't realize. They are getting a whole bunch more nominations. These people have really inspirational stories.

I am going to start off telling you about one of the nominees here, Aki Ra. We have some video of him. He is working in his native Cambodia helping clear out land mines, many of which he planted years ago as a child soldiers. Since 1993 he and his group have cleared about 50,000 mines and unexploded weapons. Here is a little bit of sound from him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AKI RA, CNN HERO (via translator): When I was demining, I felt happy because some of the areas I was clearing were places where I used to plant mines.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: You can see lots of inspirational stories like that. This website, CNNheroes.com. When you get there, it traces you through all you need to do in order to nominate people.

This is a young man, Fred Scarf, 20 years old, who lost his best friend to cancer in 2005 and now operates proms for young people who are suffering with life-threatening illnesses.

And Susan Burton, once caught in the cycle of addiction and incarceration herself. She now works with women in California who were recently incarcerated and working to overcome addiction. And another inspirational story from a doctor.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. SEAN DANESHMAND, CNN HERO: My daughter was born premature. To see people hearing there is something wrong with their baby, and to worry about everything else around them -- life doesn't stop. I'm Dr. Sean Daneshmand, and I am part of an organization that provides assistance to families in the NICU. I wanted to take away some of this suffering of these women away from them so they can really focus on their baby.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: So you get a sense of what it is that this whole project is all about highlighting people doing inspirational work around the world. And the nomination form -- this is the whole thing. You are seeing it behind me, CNNheroes.com.

It is really easy to do. It is not a vote. It is just a nomination at this point. But the cut-off is tomorrow, August 1st. Think right now about who is it that you might want to nominate for CNN heroes this year. Put that in there and you will see which stage they get to.

And then ultimately, the big event in November, maybe you could see them being named the CNN hero of the year. We love to get as many stories as possible, which is why we love to tell you about it.

So Kate, T.J., I'll be keeping an eye on CNNheroes.com in the coming days to see more of these inspirational stories as they come to us.

HOLMES: Sounds great.

BOLDUAN: Thanks, Josh.

Investigators are trying to get really to the bottom of the story behind a massive leak of military intelligence. We are learning more about their top suspect.

It's almost 30 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: The prime suspect in the military leak investigation is in solitary confinement in Virginia right now. Authorities believe that Army Private Bradley Manning may have forwarded thousands of classified documents about the Afghanistan war through the website, WikiLeaks.

We've been talking about it a lot. Let's bring in CNN's Sandra Endo who is in Washington watching it all. Sandra, what's the latest?

SANDRA ENDO, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kate, we are learning more about the private first class who military officials say is their prime suspect in their investigation into who leaked 76,000 documents pertaining to the war in Afghanistan to the website called WikiLeaks.

And 22-year-old Bradley Manning is being held in solitary confinement in Quantico, Virginia, for a different case altogether. He is facing charges of leaking airstrike videos and downloading documents from classified military systems back in 2007. He is from Oklahoma where childhood friends say he was extremely smart and outspoken.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHERA MOORE, FRIEND OF BRADLEY MANNING: If someone didn't agree with him on his point of views with, like on government stuff or religious, because he was nonreligious, he would be very outspoken and spoke his opinion. Sometimes he would get in heated arguments in class, and if he didn't agree with certain things.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ENDO: Now, Private Manning was appointed a military lawyer for the previous charges and could possibly have a hearing as early as next month. But because of this new investigation, that timeline could be delayed. Kate?

BOLDUAN: So, Sandra, do we know what is next for manning? Do we know if it is all going to come together, if he will have to face charges on this first situation? Do we know what's next for this guy? ENDO: That's the big question right now. Because he's facing these other charges regarding what charges were filed against back him in 2007, it is pretty much a wait and see depending on what military officials can gather for this investigation. So that timeline could be pushed back.

But keep in mind this is all going to be taking place in a military court. He has a military lawyer pointed to him. That hearing will be before a military judge when that happens.

BOLDUAN: Thanks so much Sandra Endo in Washington.

HOLMES: There has been so much talk this week in Washington about New York Congressman Charlie Rangel and the ethics charges against him, the possibility of facing a trial. He is not the only one now. California Democratic Congresswoman Maxine Waters has chosen to undergo an ethics trial much like the one Charlie Rangel is facing instead of facing a possible reprimand.

Waters has been scrutinized as to whether she violated rules when she helped arrange a meeting between Treasury Department officials and a bank she and her husband were connected to financially.

Also, there will be no sexual assault charges trial for former vice president, Al Gore. Authorities say there is a lack of credible evidence in a case of a massage therapist who allegedly was groped by Gore back in 2006 at a Portland hotel. A spokesman for the former vice president says Vice President Gore is pleased the matter is resolved and thanks the police for their diligence.

A lot of people, most of us at some point in our lives, have been pulled over by the police for one reason or another, some reasons less serious than others. But it's not your best moment.

BOLDUAN: No, it is always stressful. It is always a little scary. That is exactly what happened to one U.S. congressman. And this doesn't happen all the time. You actually have it happening live on the radio. We'll hear the play by play in a moment. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BOLDUAN: Checking our top stories now.

In Florida, more than 1,300 firefighters are trying to extinguish a trio of wildfires that have already charred 30,000 acres. Beyond homes and property, the fire threatens to disrupt electricity as the flames approach nearby power lines.

And a federal appeals court has denied Arizona Governor Jan Brewer's request for an expedited hearing on the state's immigration law. The case is now scheduled to be heard in early November.

Meanwhile, the Phoenix Police Department say 45 people were arrested Thursday during widespread protests of SB-1070. A U.S. district judge has blocked enforcement of the most controversial provisions of the law.

HOLMES: We have seen record rains in Pakistan that have caused severe flooding, and the death toll is going up this morning. Hundreds are dead.

Our Reza Sayah is with us on the phone, on the line. He has been making his way to one of the hardest hit regions. Reza, if you can, first of all, update us on the numbers that have been changing this morning, the numbers confirmed dead, and also describe for us what you have been seeing along the way as you make your way into the hardest hit region.

REZA SAYAH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, fortunately, T.J., the death toll hasn't increased over the past few hours. It's 800 people killed because of these floods and these monsoon rains.

But the information minister in this region say millions of people, a million of people, impacted, many of them stranded. So that toll could be going up.

We spent much of the day driving to the hardest hit locations and once we got here, it was clearly a disaster. The communities we saw, it's going to take years for them to rebuild. The hardest hit area is the province. We went to a city which is a couple hours west of Islamabad. And there, you just saw hundreds of homes swept away by floodwaters.

Officials saying scores of businesses, schools, government buildings have also been destroyed. One government official is calling this the worst natural disaster ever in this part of Pakistan.

Now their goal is to get relief aid, rescue workers to parts of this area, and that's going to be a very big challenge. Night is falling right now, many of the roads are impassible, many of the bridges destroyed.

HOLMES: Reza Sayah for us going to be reporting throughout the day. He's made it to the hardest hit region. Reza, we appreciate you as always. Thanks so much.

BOLDUAN: It is monsoon season in parts of the southwestern United States. That includes Nogales, Arizona, where back to back evenings of heavy rains turned retention ditches into raging rapids. A flash flood watch remains in effect for southern Arizona until later tonight as another round of heavy rain is possible.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HOLMES: We all know, live television, live radio, "live" is the key here. Anything can happen. A California congressman driving on the George Washington Parkway outside of D.C., and he was doing a live interview on the radio with his cell phone.

BOLDUAN: And that happens, but this doesn't happen very often. Then, he saw some lights start to flash. And listen what happens next on the air. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are talking specifically this morning about the passage of the international Megan's law. Can you tell folks about it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Can you get off the phone, sir?

REP. DAN LUNGREN, (R) CALIFORNIA: I have to get off the phone for just a moment here. Can I call you back in just a second? I'm sorry, I'm talking with a police officer here.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, oh, yes. Nope. You go ahead and go take care of your business and we'll let you go.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: So it turns out it was a little too much multi-tasking for Congressman Dan Lungren. He called back and joked that he was driving slightly over the speed limit because he was so excited about being on the radio.

HOLMES: They don't stop you for driving slightly over any speed limit, congressman. But the police officer actually did not give him a ticket, just a warning. So be warned when you are on G.W. Parkway.

Coning up here, we are going to introduce you to a young artist that's creating mixed media, a mixed media exhibit to raise awareness about the trans-Atlantic slave trade.

It's 45 minutes past the hour. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: It's about ten minutes to the top of the hour now. African-Americans have played critical roles in U.S. history. Yet black history and the issue of slavery in particular, some say it is sometimes skimmed over in our public schools. This compelled an artist in Atlanta to pick up where he says the textbooks leave off.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Faces of pain and despair, faces that tell a story going back five centuries, a time when humanity was mostly forgotten.

STEPHEN HAYES, ARTIST: This is one of the people, which is me.

HOLMES: About a year ago, 27-year-old Steven Hayes was looking for inspiration. He came across documents about the Brooks slave ship. The documents laid out a plan to pack in as many slaves as possible in a ship to transport from Africa to the new world. Hayes was horrified.

HAYES: I was thinking about back when I was in high school, and, like, I didn't learn anything about the trans-Atlantic slave trade. I just learned that we picked up slaves here and we brought them to America, and then we had the civil rights and all these wars and everything. But it didn't say anything about how the slaves got here.

HOLMES: Hayes felt he needed to tell this story, that at the height of the slave trade, documents boasted that they could pack in 482 men, women, and children. Some records show that as many as 609 slaves were jammed in elbow to elbow.

So Hayes got to work. For five months he plastered, welded, and carved until his hands literally bled. He created 15 life size statues to represent the 15 million slaves that were brought to the U.S. between 1540 and 1850. The process was emotional for Hayes and even his models. Hayes says one of the models broke down.

HAYES: One of the guys, he was like, yes, I would have killed myself or killed somebody for putting me through this. Just imagine eight weeks of being cooked up in one position, being able to have feces and everything thrown about everywhere. I couldn't imagine going through it.

HOLMES: Hayes statues stand eye to eye with their viewers. Sculptor, Alan Petersen, said it is a way to invoke real emotion to start a dialogue.

ALLEN PETERSON, SCULPTOR: That connection really reminds us of the people involved. The people who were kidnapped and enslaved were living, breathing people.

HOLMES: Hayes says another reason he wanted to tell this story is because he sees slavery today.

HAYES: I thought about third world countries. These people in the third world countries are packed in just like the same way they were packed in the ships, as much room as they need to produce as much as they can. That's how much room they can get. You can open your eyes and see this is still going on.

It's something to think about. Where do we go from there? How do we change it?

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Hayes says he felt so compelled to tell the story that he paid for the whole thing on his own. He got a little help from his mom. You can see the exhibit "Cash Crop" in Atlanta's Fine Arts Gallery until August 10th and then it will hit the road and go on tour.

BOLDUAN: Here is an interesting one. A woman who says she used her faith to stop a robbery. Earlier this month, police say a gunman walked into a Metro PCS store in Pompano Beach, Florida, and demanded $300. He said he needed the money or he would be evicted.

Well, the clerk asked him if he had heard about Jesus. He told her he was a Christian, apologized for what he was trying to do, and then left, without any money.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm a Christian.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So am I, and I absolutely hate doing this.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You don't need to. Jesus got something way better for you, for everyone that's out there. I'm not blaming you. I'm not judging. I don't know what you are going through, but all of us are going through a hard time right now.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLDUAN: Well, police have arrested the man. He says that the pistol he carried was only a bb gun. Wow!

HOLMES: That is remarkable.

BOLDUAN: She had her composure.

HOLMES: Very much so.

BOLDUAN: Even that conversation, I'm very impressed.

HOLMES: You could hear his voice. He doesn't sound very threatening, quite frankly. He sounds like somebody going through something a lot of people are. So best of luck to him and congratulations to her.

But coming up next, what does it take really to become a religious leader? Well, I didn't know you needed to be able to perform on television. That's a necessary skill apparently now.

BOLDUAN: Apparently.

An ahead, at 11:00, a congressman goes on a rant about benefits for emergency workers from the 9/11 attack. We will hear from one of the targets of his rant.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We are coming up on the top of the hour here now.

Reality TV with a religious twist generating a lot of buzz globally, especially in the Muslim world.

BOLDUAN: A 26-year-old has just won the coveted title of "Young Imam." Our Dan Rivers reports from Malaysia's capital.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAN RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It may look like "American Idol" or "The X Factor," but the contestants aren't vying for money or a record deal. This is for the "Young Imam," Malaysia's TV talent show where contestants compete to be a Muslim imam.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A program that will change your life.

RIVERS: A big claim, but the producers were determined to break the rules of traditional religious programming.

IZELAN BASAR, CHANNEL MANAGER, ASTRO OASIS: We want to make it interesting for the young. Like I say, for any region to attract the young closer to god, it is a big, huge challenge.

RIVERS: Ten finalists try to maintain sincerity, difficult under the glare of the studio lights. The winner will get a job at a prestigious mosque, a scholarship in Saudi Arabia, and an all expensive paid pilgrimage to Mecca.

RIVERS (on camera): The producers say this show is a reflection of Malaysia's modern and open form of Islam. It is designed to provoke debate among Muslims and importantly to draw in young viewers with a slick set and dramatic elimination rounds.

Each week, one or two contestants are voted off if they don't make the grade. The producers claim this isn't reality TV, but for want-to-be imam Nuri Ali Arbain, it sure feels like it.

NURI ALI ARBAIN, CONTESTANT: So far, the results, I did the best on my exam.

RIVERS: Some of the practical tests have been tough, preparing HIV positive corpses for burial and helping families through difficult times. There is no Simon Cowell. Instead a former Grand Mufti, equivalent to an archbishop, is one of the judges. He insists the show is educational as well as entertaining.

For a religion that is often portrayed as staid and conservative, this kind of TV show is nothing more than revolutionary.

Dan Rivers, CNN, Guadalupe.

(END VIDEOTAPE)